Economics

Our courses are designed for students who combine excellent overall ability with superb quantitative skills. Our Economics degrees emphasise the analysis of data in all three years of study. Your Mathematics A-level or equivalent ensures that you have gained the knowledge and study techniques needed to be successful on our courses. The technical skills we teach are highly valued by prestigious employers and are essential for a career as a professional economist.

Economics courses

Single honours

Joint honours

Why study Economics at Bristol?

Our department is among the top ten Economics departments in the UK. In both teaching and research we specialise in analysing real-world economic problems using rigorous analysis and careful use of data. Staff from the Centre for Market and Public Organisation are internationally renowned for their expertise in economic policy analysis and we have strong links with the Departments of Accounting and Finance, and Management.

Students rate the quality of our teaching and the enthusiasm of our staff as among the best in the country. Most of our students rate our courses as intellectually stimulating and challenging. We are very proud of the quality of our teaching and the positive feedback we receive from our students. In 2012, 32 per cent of our students graduated with First-class honours and a further 44 per cent earned a 2:1.

What kind of student would this course suit?

You will enjoy these courses if you are interested in understanding how people make decisions about resource allocation at individual, corporate and national level; how markets work, how they fail and what can be done about it. If you are scientifically-minded and good at maths then you will enjoy the rigorous analytical approach we take to understanding how the economy works. You will also enjoy studying economics with us if you like a balance of approaches in your learning. Our subjects address both theoretical and empirical aspects and our lecturing team comprises leading researchers and specialist teaching staff.

Our courses will suit you if, while pursuing an Economics degree, you wish to study related disciplines such as Accounting, Finance, Management, Philosophy or Politics as an integrated part of that degree (either as part of a joint degree or as optional units within a single honours degree).

How is this course taught and assessed?

We teach using a variety of methods including standard lectures in which new material is introduced to a large group of students, exercise lectures (which involve application of material) and small-group tutorials (usually up to fifteen students each).

You will prepare assignments during the year and we will mark them and give you feedback, but they do not usually count directly to your final mark for the course. The assessment which is used to determine your score for each subject at the end of the year is primarily by way of examinations in the summer, although you can choose some units which include a coursework element in the final assessment, for example an Applied Economics Project in your final year which will contribute 10% of your final degree mark.

What are my career prospects?

While a significant number of our graduates go on to postgraduate study, the majority enter employment. In 2010, of those entering employment, 51% entered investment banking/financial analysis, 16% chose to enter accounting/auditing/taxation, 4% entered other financial services or the Civil Service/public sector and 29% gained employment in other areas such as management consultancy and teaching. Employers popular with our graduates include Credit Suiss, Deloitte, JP Morgan and UBS.

What do you enjoy about studying at Bristol?

The quality of teaching, the course content and the vast mix of students from different parts of the world are some of the things that make studying at the University of Bristol an unforgettable experience.

Abha Herur
BSc Economics